The spill happened on Monday 14 February, about 40 miles from the coast of Blackpool. It was predicted to head towards the Lancashire coastline and tar balls started to arrive on the coast around Blackpool yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 16 February).

While the impact of Monday’s pipeline leak is still unclear, an oil spill of any size poses a risk to seabirds, other marine life and habitats.

Dr Emily Baxter, Senior Marine Conservation Officer for the North West Wildlife Trusts said: 

"Our greatest concern is for the welfare of seabirds (offshore populations of sea ducks and divers in Liverpool Bay), coastal wading birds that feed and roost in our estuaries and along the coastline, as well as fish and other marine life that live and feed in our coastal waters. We are also concerned about the effect that the spill (oil and tar balls) will have on vital coastal habitats such as mud and sand flats, saltmarsh and sand dunes. Thousands of migratory and overwintering birds, as well as fish, shellfish, crabs and other wildlife rely a variety of different coastal habitats found across the Lancashire coastline."

The high winds of Storm Dudley have helped to disperse the oil spill. It is now being recorded to be washing up in the form of small tar balls, rather than a slick (which can smother birds, wildlife and habitats). However, tar balls can be very persistent in the marine environment, travel vast distances and be difficult to clean up depending on their size and where they wash up. If ingested, toxins in oil and tar can have a significant impacts on the survival and breeding-ability of marine life from birds and fish, to invertebrates and marine mammals, like seals, whales and dolphins.

Although any pollution incident such as this is saddening, it was particularly upsetting the news of the spill came on the 26^th anniversary of what has been called Wales’ worst ecological disaster, when 72,000 tonnes of crude spilled from the Sea Empress oil tanker off the Pembrokeshire coast. Large numbers of seaweeds and invertebrates were killed on the beaches where it drifted ashore, and it took over a year to clean the slick.

We might think that oil spills were a thing of the past but this is a stark reminder of our continued reliance on fossil fuels. We need to move away from our dependence on dirty fossil fuels, for the benefit of the climate, planet and wider society, and also our wildlife, which is already under threat from a number of other human impacts.

It is important that if anyone finds any tar balls on the beach or affected wildlife that they do not touch them. Clean up teams are already working to remove the contamination. Tar balls can be reported to the local council and affected wildlife should be reported to the RSPCA as soon as possible.